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Metro Injury Notes: Romanov, Gudbranson, Soucy

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Alexander Romanov missed the New York Islanders most recent game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. He’s not expected to miss any more time. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Romanov is fully particpating in this morning’s practice, indicating he’ll return tomorrow.

After the Islanders traded Noah Dobson this summer, they were expecting Romanov to shoulder more responsibility on the blueline. The team showed that expectation financially, signing Romanov to an eight-year, $50MM extension, making him their highest-paid defenseman.

Unfortunately, even before the injury, Romanov hasn’t looked like the defensemen the Islanders need him to be. He’s gone scoreless through his first four contests with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He’s shown some early progression in his possession metrics, though his isolated defensive play has been subpar at best with a 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Still, there’s plenty of time left in the season for Romanov to correct his play, and hopefully being healthy will aid in that effort.

Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets could be returning a veteran presence to their blueline relatively soon. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda reported this morning that defenseman Erik Gudbranson is skating with the team this morning, the first time he’s skated since going down with an concussion on October 11th. Still, there may not be much hope he’ll have a lot of staying power in the Blue Jackets lineup. Gudbranson has faced numerous injuries recently, playing only 16 games with Columbus last season.
  • According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, defenseman Carson Soucy shed his no-contact jersey at the New York Rangers’ practice this morning, indicating he’ll be activated off the IR relatively soon. Although he’s eligible to be activated from the IR today, Mercogliano wouldn’t go as far to confirm those are the Rangers intentions. Soucy suffered his injury in the team’s October 11th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as he awkwardly flew into the boards after attempting to hit Rickard Rakell.

Red Wings’ Emmitt Finnie Off To Impressive Start

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Missing the playoffs for the last nine years, the Detroit Red Wings have had several top-15 overall picks in the first round and have several above-average prospects remaining in their pipeline. That’s what has made Emmitt Finnie’s emergence all the more inspiring.

Given that the team has had so many higher-end selections in the first round, Finnie had been treated somewhat as an afterthought in Detroit’s system, since he was drafted in the seventh round only two years ago. He had a relatively unimpressive year with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, scoring nine goals and 35 points in 64 games with a +11 rating.

He followed up his draft year with a productive campaign, scoring 19 goals and 59 points in 62 games. Still, it wasn’t enough at the time for Finnie to even chart on most Red Wings’ prospect boards, given that forwards scoring lower than a point-per-game average in the Canadian Major Junior system aren’t usually close to being NHL-caliber talents.

In his final year with the Blazers, and as the team’s captain, Finnie put it together on offense. Unfortunately, the team didn’t qualify for the WHL playoffs, but Finnie led the way on offense, scoring 37 goals and 84 points in 55 games. He finished the campaign with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring one goal and five points in 10 games with a -4 rating.

At the beginning of training camp, few would have believed that he had a legitimate opportunity to crack the Red Wings’ roster. Still, as the team continued their search for a linemate next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, Finnie’s work ethic stood out amongst the pack. General Manager Steve Yzerman has been criticized in recent years for not promoting more youngsters to the roster from camp. However, many Detroit fans recognize this as being the mantra of the franchise for the past several generations.

As the preseason progressed, Finnie remained on the roster, leading to unexpected optimism that he might stay with the team for the regular season. He finished Detroit’s preseason action with two goals and four points in seven games with a 16.7% shooting percentage, averaging 14:28 of action per game.

He has already surpassed those scoring totals in fewer games in the regular season.

At the time of writing, the 20-year-old is tied for third on the Red Wings in scoring, with two goals and five points in six games with a +7 rating, with both of those goals coming in yesterday’s win over the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Still, there’s an argument to be made that anybody with a pulse may be able to engineer points at a relatively easy pace next to Larkin and Raymond.

That’s true to some degree, with Finnie only averaging a 43.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and his -0.7 Expected +/-. However, he’s tied for first on the team in hits (21), and has an excellent 96.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength, which is even more remarkable considering he begins nearly 2/3 of his shifts in the defensive zone.

There are few arguments this early in the season that Finnie is a bona fide top-six winger, nor is there any hope of him driving his own line anytime soon. However, he’s showing a degree of fearlessness that hasn’t been seen from a Detroit prospect in some time, and the team is better off for it.

Avalanche Recall Mackenzie Blackwood From Conditioning Loan

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Oct. 17: Blackwood’s conditioning stint is over, the team announced. He didn’t get into game action with the Eagles; instead, he was only there to face shots in practice with a more consistent schedule there this week than in Colorado. Blackwood was never on IR, so the recall suggests he should be available for tomorrow’s game against the Bruins.

Oct. 13: The Colorado Avalanche should be getting a big reinforcement between the pipes in a few days. The team announced that they’ve loaned netminder Mackenzie Blackwood to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on a conditioning stint. Additionally, the team has activated defenseman Sean Behrens from the season-opening injured reserve and reassigned him to AHL Colorado.

Colorado’s reasoning behind the conditioning stint this early in the campaign is fairly simple. Blackwood is continuing to recover from a procedure performed in May and didn’t participate in any preseason games for the Avalanche or any training camp activities. Since Colorado can leave Blackwood on the conditioning stint for up to 14 days, it’ll be treated as a pseudo training camp to prepare him for the regular season.

Blackwood was phenomenal for the Avalanche last year. After being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, Blackwood took on a heavy workload, managing a 22-12-3 record in 37 games with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help Colorado avoid another first-round exit in last year’s playoffs, registering a 3-4-0 record in seven contests with a .892 SV%.

Still, despite being without Blackwood, the Avalanche have gotten stellar goaltending out of the gates this season. Their backup, Scott Wedgewood, has a 2-0-1 record through Colorado’s first three games with a .925 SV% and 1.95 GAA. Even though it’s a small sample size, Wedgewood has already played the most minutes of any netminder this year.

Meanwhile, Behrens will return to competitive hockey for the first time in two years. After winning the National Championship with the University of Denver in 2024, Behrens signed with the Avalanche, skating in one game with the Eagles to finish the year, with one additional appearance in the postseason.

Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered during last year’s training camp cost Behrens the entire 2024-25 season. He appeared in a few games for the Avalanche’s rookie tournament, though his upcoming time with the Eagles will mark his true return to professional hockey.

East Notes: Tuch, Crozier, Othmann

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There was a heavy expectation heading into the 2025-26 season that the Buffalo Sabres would get an extension done with forward Alex Tuch. Before the campaign, there was no agreed-upon extension, and Tuch’s future is more uncertain following a disappointing start by the Sabres. In a recent interview with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Brian Bartlett, Tuch’s agent, admitted that extension talks had begun to stall.

Bartlett acknowledged that the Sabres wanted to keep Tuch after this season, and Tuch expressed interest in staying as well. However, Bartlett shared further, ” I think we’ve all kind of decided that it’s best to just try to get some wins here. Alex is a leader on that team, both play-wise and kind of, you know, in the room. So he wants to focus on that, not have it a distraction, so we’ve wanted to just kind of let everyone know, like, we’re just gonna put this on the backburner for a little bit – doesn’t mean that we’re closing the door to signing, doesn’t mean anything, just means that, you know, for the time period, he’s gotta try to help the Buffalo Sabres win games.”

Despite earning a win last night, the Sabres haven’t gotten off on the right foot to stave off the 15th year of their playoff drought. If Tuch wants to play on a legitimate contender, few would condemn him for seeking an opportunity outside of Buffalo. Still, there’s plenty of time to correct the disappointing start, and Tuch may feel more inclined to revisit talks if the Sabres can collect more wins.

Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without defenseman Maxwell Crozier for the next few games. After leaving the team’s recent game against the Washington Capitals in the first period, Benjamin Pierce, the team’s manager of media relations, passed along a note from head coach Jon Cooper confirming that he would miss the next few games and potentially the next few weeks. Regardless, the Lightning have a readily available in-house candidate to replace Crozier in Darren Raddysh, who’s scored one goal and three points in two games this year.
  • Earlier, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman asserted that the New York Rangers were listening to offers for forward prospect Brennan Othmann. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic provided additional context in a new article, indicating that the writing was on the wall during training camp. Mercogliano confirmed that Othmann hasn’t made a formal trade request, but agrees that a fresh start would be best. He noted that the Rangers were wholly underwhelmed by Othmann’s four preseason performances and sent him down nearly one week before the beginning of the season.

Sharks Looking To Add Young Defensemen

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Given their collection of forward prospects, it’s unsurprising that David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are pivoting their attention to their defensive core. San Jose took a step forward in that endeavor today, claiming 22-year-old blueliner Vincent Iorio off waivers from the Washington Capitals.

Still, Iorio won’t be enough to handle the potential mass exodus from the Sharks’ blue line this season. Veterans Nick Leddy, John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Vincent Desharnais are all pending unrestricted free agents, and that’s likely by design. Given that defensemen are typically at a premium throughout the trade deadline season, San Jose could hypothetically get a haul should they make each of them available leading up to March.

Unfortunately, the Sharks, like most teams, lack the necessary depth to sustain the departure of five defensemen from the active roster. If they move each of the pending UFAs, that would leave San Jose with Dmitry Orlov, Sam Dickinson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Iorio penciled in for the rest of the year.

The Sharks could conceivably recall Lucas Carlsson or Jack Thompson to fill in the depth. Still, the former is already 28 years old and isn’t expected to contribute to the next competitive iteration of the Sharks.

In the short term, it would be in the Sharks’ best interest to stick to the waiver wire for additional reinforcements. The Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Nashville Predators may put some defensemen on the wire in the next few weeks as some of their injured defensemen return to the lineup.

Acquiring a younger defenseman would objectively become easier closer to the deadline. As teams begin to separate from the pack and weaknesses become apparent on contending teams, San Jose will be in a much better position as a rebuilding club to take advantage of a buyer’s desperation.

Detroit Red Wings Shopping Defensemen

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David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Detroit Red Wings are attempting to resolve their surplus of defensemen through the trade market. Pagnotta specifically mentioned Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic as trade bait moving forward, though Justin Holl could likely be thrown into the mix as well.

Gustafsson would be the least surprising veteran blueliner to move in the next few weeks. Although he technically made the team out of training camp, he was waived before the start of the campaign and was reassigned once the team welcomed James van Riemsdyk to the active roster. Given that he’s only making $2MM this season, Gustafsson would be one of the easiest ones to move.

Still, there’s an argument to be made that Gustafsson is overpaid, even on that reasonable salary. He had a disappointing first year with the Red Wings last season, scoring two goals and 18 points in 60 games despite being marketed as an offensive defenseman. His -19 rating finished as the worst on the team, and his 16:19 ATOI was second to last among defensemen with more than 40 games played.

The latter two would be somewhat trickier to move. Detroit only recently signed Hamonic (August 15th), and has a shortage of depth on the right side. Regardless of his disastrous play during the team’s home opener, it would be relatively uncharacteristic for a team to move on from a free agent signing that quickly.

Meanwhile, Holl would be the most difficult to move given his salary for the rest of the 2025-26 season. In potentially the worst signing for the Red Wings under Steve Yzerman’s stewardship, the team gave Holl a three-year, $10.2MM ($3.4MM AAV) contract in 2023, with a 10-team no-trade list in each year of the deal. Like Gustafsson, Holl was sent through waivers shortly before the start of the regular season. Now playing for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Holl is unlikely to have much of a market considering 31 teams passed on him via the waiver wire.

Regardless, with the positive play of newcomer Jacob Bernard-Docker and youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka, the trio of veterans is unlikely to get an opportunity with Detroit anytime soon. A hypothetical trade wouldn’t entirely be without precedent, either. After the emergence of Albert Johansson last year, the Red Wings traded Olli Määttä to the Utah Hockey Club for a 2025 third-round pick in late October.

Still, none of this is urgent. The Red Wings have enough cap space to absorb Gustafsson and Holl’s buried contracts, and could do the same with Hamonic if he continues slumping. However, it would be a better service to the players if Detroit could put them in a situation with more opportunities.

Flyers Reinstate Cam York From Injured Reserve

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Oct. 16: York has been reinstated ahead of tonight’s game against the Jets, the team announced. Emil Andrae was returned to AHL Lehigh Valley yesterday to open a roster spot.

Oct. 14: Although it’s not a complete guarantee, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to welcome back one of their better defenseman tomorrow for practice, and potentially for their game on Thursday evening against the Winnipeg Jets. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, blueliner Cam York says there is a good chance he will return for Philadelphia’s next game.

The University of Michigan alumnus has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the preseason. Despite being on a day-to-day recovery timeline, York has already missed the Flyers’ first three games of the 2025-26 regular season. He’s currently on the team’s injured reserve and was eligible for activation yesterday.

York’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Philadelphia has started relatively slow out of the gates, earning a 1-1-1 record through their first three matchups with a +1 differential. Struggling to arrange consistent goaltending last year, it has actually been the team’s defensive pairings that have struggled the most to start the campaign.

According to MoneyPuck, Philadelphia has used four different defensive pairings to start the year, for those who have played more than 10 minutes of action. The combination of Jamie Drysdale and Adam Ginning has been the best to start, averaging an xGoals% of 50%, which is statistically neutral. Each of the other three has managed negative xGoals% to start the year, meaning that the rest of the defensemen are failing to provide any positive value.

Last season, the combination of Travis Sanheim and York yielded a 54.8% xGoals% across more than 870 minutes of ice time. Although he doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the puck, York routinely blocks shots and has averaged a positive Expected +/- for the last three years. Head coach Rick Tocchet, who’s been largely disappointed by Philadelphia’s defensive core since the beginning of preseason, will have much more to work with when York returns.

Philadelphia Flyers To Reassign Emil Andrae

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Emil Andrae’s recent recall to the Philadelphia Flyers has ended after one game. Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Andrae’s name is no longer listed on the Flyers roster on the NHL media site, which means he has been reassigned to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 

Without a corresponding roster move, the move all but guarantees a return for defenseman Cameron York, which was reported on yesterday. The only item left on Philadelphia’s to-do list would be to activate York from their injured reserve, which will likely happen tomorrow.

Although his one-game recall won’t make a lasting impression on the Flyers’ front office, it likely won’t be Andrae’s last time in the NHL this season. He skated in 10:22 of Philadelphia’s win over the Florida Panthers on Monday, earning an 87.5% CorsiFor% at even strength.

Given that he’s on his entry-level contract, and thus exempt from waivers, Andrae is an easy choice for a readily available depth option. He skated in 42 games for the Flyers last year, scoring one goal and seven points while averaging 17:21 of ice time. His possession metrics were relatively positive, a rare quality for Philadelphia last year, though his defensive metrics left much to be desired.

His play with AHL Lehigh Valley indicates that there’s another level to his offensive game. Since debuting for the Phantoms in 2022-23, Andrae has scored 10 goals and 56 points in 97 games, becoming one of their most consistent blueliners over that stretch. Still, defensemen tend to take longer to develop, and Andrae is only 23 years old. Should he continue to get consistent reps in the AHL, he’ll have a better chance of cracking the Flyers roster out of training camp next season.

Canucks Place Derek Forbort On Injured Reserve

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without some defensive depth for at least the first two games of their upcoming road trip. The team announced that they’ve placed Derek Forbort on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, retroactive to October 11th.

Forbort’s placement on the IR gives context to youngster Victor Mancini’s inclusion in the lineup for Monday’s loss against the St. Louis Blues. Mancini went scoreless across 15:24 of action, while the pairing of him and Marcus Pettersson combined for an xGoals% of 38.5% according to MoneyPuck.

Although Forbort is eligible to return for the Canucks game on October 19th against the Washington Capitals, there’s no guarantee he’ll do so. He was particularly ineffective in his first two games before the injury.

Even with little responsibility as a bottom-pairing option, Forbort went without a point to start the year, averaging 13:56 of ice time. He’s already in last place among Vancouver defensemen in CorsiFor% at even strength (29.2%) and helped muster a brutal 15.4% xGoals% alongside Elias Pettersson.

Regardless, the Canucks will likely have him on the roster until the trade deadline, unless they’re willing to expose him on the waiver wire. Although he’s coming off a relatively disappointing campaign in which he scored two goals and 11 points in 54 games with a -7 rating, Vancouver signed Forbort to a one-year, $2MM extension in early June. Assuming Mancini continues producing better than Forbort, albeit in a small sample size, it’s unlikely the Canucks will put him back in the lineup over their road trip.

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Pheonix Copley

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The Los Angeles Kings have brought in a familiar face to serve as the team’s third-string netminder. After losing him on the waiver wire a few weeks ago, the Kings announced they’ve traded for netminder Pheonix Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations.

Further, despite recalling him on an emergency basis only a few hours ago, the Kings also shared that they’ve loaned Erik Portillo back to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Assuming he can make it to Los Angeles before tomorrow night, Copley is expected to serve as the Kings’ backup tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins behind Anton Forsberg.

The reasoning behind the trade is simple. The team’s Editorial Content Manager, Zach Dooley, reported earlier that Darcy Kuemper and Anže Kopitar are dealing with lower-body injuries. While Kopitar has been deemed ’questionable’, Kuemper has already been ruled out for tomorrow night’s contest.

Copley’s status as a veteran and familiarity with the organization likely played a big part in the Kings reacquiring him from the Lightning. Over the last three years, starting as a backup and transitioning to a third-string role, Copley had managed a 28-7-5 record for Los Angeles with a .897 SV% and 2.75 GAA. While playing for AHL Ontario last season, the 33-year-old netminder appeared in 42 contests, earning a 24-17-1 record with a .904 SV% and 2.49 GAA.

Although he was rostered on the Lightning to start the year, he had yet to appear in a game for them. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gotten off to a disappointing start to the campaign, but the team relied on Jonas Johansson as the next man up instead.

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